Alla Vägar Måste Börja Någonstans
by Solaris Nightfire
Summary: They say that all roads must begin somewhere. This is where it all began for Solaris and Zema. Not the most ideal beginning but it was at least a compelling one. You all have asked me about this for a while now. Now here it is. I hope you enjoy. One Shot Collab with Rotramel The Writer at Animation Source (Rated T for Violence and Language)


Zema backed up against the sloppily cut metal door as it slid shut behind her, boxing her into a tight metal box she could barely stand up in. The walls to either side seemed to close in and she turned her head this way and that hoping for a way to escape. ...but there was nothing. No way for her but forward. Forward into the arena that she had yet to step paw in, but that she had seen a number of dogs leave for and never come back. The crimson coated wolf started to panic, her breath coming in quick shallow gasps as she beat her paws and head against the metal walls. She could hear the cheering humans outside, yelps of pain and growls of aggression as the pair currently in the arena fought for their amusement. Suddenly she grabbed ahold of her emotions with all four paws and pulled them back into herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was no other way... she had to fight... and she had to be ready. There would be no second chance... Zema brought her head level with the sliding metal plate in front of her and took another breath, readying herself for what was to come.

Another night. Another fight or so it would seem for Solaris as he stepped into that bloody damned ring again ready to possibly have to do more killing and the very thought of it was sickening, The subhuman cowards responsible all gathering around in a drunken stupor not aware of their illegal actions 'How pathetic' he thought as the gates raised and he charged into the middle to meet his next opponent. 'Man not another one of the girls again, How do I keep fighting just girls?' he thought dejectedly. He hated fighting them because he was always so much bigger and stronger and it was never a fair fight.

"So lets just get this damn thing over with. I hate fighting with girls" he said to his opponent. In observing her he couldn't help but notice how similar she looked to his brother Kallisto whom he'd not seen in a few years.

Zema heard a heavy thump, then cheers, barking and the sound of something heavy being drug through the sand. She thought she was going to be sick. Then the door in front slid open and she ran out into the arena as the cattleprod pushd through the back contacted her back leg. Zema's vision was blurred for a moment by the sudden introduction of light to her darkened world. She heard a voice and as her vision cleared she saw a larger wolf/dog in front of her. "I intend to win." She said, the strength in her voice covering up the shaking pup inside. "Girls can fight too you know." Then she lashed out with her left paw, summoning all of her strength at once.

Solaris being dazed for a second had no time to react to Zema's first swing at him so instead of trying to block it he mirrored her first move. and when they connected the force was so huge that he was knocked clean across the ring and had the wind completely knocked out of him. Effectively ending his fight. As he blacked out temporarly he got to thinking 'Damn that girl's got some fire to her' The humans of course none too amused pulled him from the ring, But in this instance neither one of them won, Because he managed to register an equally hard hit on his opponent.

Zema groaned. Her head hurt. She didn't even try to open her eyes at first, just registering that she was in fact alive. Her opponents rather bold move of attacking at the same time she did rather than attempting to block, or counter had caught her off guard. She remembered being picked up off her paws as the strike landed, but the crimson wolf didn't remember hitting the ground. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked at the light. She was back in the pen. "Am... Am I alive?" She asked softly to no one in particular.

When Solaris came back to he hopped up unaware from his disorientation that he was back in a cage and hit his head rather hard on the top of his cage "Ow what just happened out there?" He said aloud to no one in particular as he laid back down because like anyone cared what he had to say. Then he heard the voice of his last opponent "Very much so, but you probably wouldn't be if I hadn't countered that like I did, I don't think either one of us would be quite honestly" Solaris said to her quietly not wanting to raise too much commotion and wind up getting tortured by one of these damned cowards running this dump.

Zema stood and looked through the barred window as the voice reached her ears. She saw her opponent sitting there. "Why are you sitting there?" She asked. She stood up and took a few weak steps forward, then bashed her head into the barred door. "We've got to get out of here." She hit the door again and felt the whole cage shudder, but the door still stayed fast.

"It's no use. These cages are virtually unbreakable, I've tried so many times I dont even care to count anymore" Solaris replied "One of these days the police will find us and we'll be out of here. Especially when they find me here. I used to race for the championship team back in Nome before I wound up here. My two brothers still live there as far as I know, I'm sure they've turned the wilderness inside looking for me" he added with a long sigh.

Zema looks through the bars at the other wolf/dog. "You must be crazy... or you've been in here too long to care. The only way out of this place is the dump out back." She said, banging into the doors again. "Aren't you even going to try?"

"Why and get tormented by these abusive cowards some more than we already have been? It's not worth it with them all drunk like this right now" Solaris said "And yes I do in fact care very much so but I'm not going to crack my head open trying to break a metal door down. If you care about your well being I would settle down for a bit" he added wincing every time she charged her cage's door. the sound of bone against metal was sickening.

Zema swore "Aarrrrg damn it!" she screamed and slammed into the door three or four times in quick succession. "I... I have to get out..." She said. She hit the door again and sighed. "Have to..."

"Please stop. at that rate you'll never get out of here alive. I'd highly reccomend it if you want to live" Solaris said but it was futile to try so he just tried to ignore the god awful sound and save what little sanity he had left and rest if he could

Zema hit the bars at least six more times without saying a word and then slowly slid to the floor of the cage. "I..." She stopped and just sobbed. "I... can't..." She said softly. "I can't, I can't, I can't I... Can't..." She leaned against the doors and just cried.

The next night would prove to not be much better for either one of them as they both had seperate matches this time around and Solaris was really concerned about her opponent, He had already lost three times to this guy she'd be fighting and this time he couldn't do much to help. His own fight was a pretty easy one, The guy he wound up with in the ring was a novice fighter and the fight itself lasted about 30 seconds and he had his opponent KO'ed with miminal damage done. He hated this job so much. but it had to be done if he was going to survive in here. 'That was too easy but I really didn't want to hurt this kid, No one that young deserves to be in here at all' he thought as he left the ring for the sidelines...

Now it was his new friend's turn and her opponent was one of the best fighters there. His name was Invictus and as his name stated he had not lost a single fight yet...As he heard the gates open to the ring all he could think is 'Be careful in there kid, this guy's tough'...

Zema had no idea what had happened. Her ears rang, the sounds of chanting humans muffled by the piercing sound. She could feel blood sliding down her face. Her left leg hurt to put weight on, and one eye was hard to open. She looked down and saw the shredded mess of a dog at her paws. The taste of salt, wet and cloying came to her then, as well as the knowledge that she as coated in blood. She hurt all over. Everything, her ears, her paws, her face, even her tail. There were the humans again, leaping over the sides of the arena to shoo her back to her cage. How she wished she could do this to them. But the rods burned when touched by them, and they had a far longer reach than she. The wolf/dog shrank away from them, backing back into the chute she'd been loaded into the arena in. Then they caged her and brought her back to her pen. Once there she stood in stunned disbelief, staring at her paws.

Solaris just stood on the sideline in a complete daze at what he had just saw. A girl just took down the only undefeated fighter in the ring. But it had not been a pretty win for her. As she had tore this guy up pretty bad in there a moment ago. when he went back to the caging area he didn't expect what he saw. There she was, head down, covered in blood and in obvious dismay. Granted that this was a kill to win so called 'sport' it was wasn't a surprise but it was a surprise too. "I saw the fight Zema, you only did what had to be done, Believe me I dont no less hate killing than the next person. That guy had it coming for his dirty fighting style, None of us expected you to do it though. Don't be down about it. Now no one else has to ever face that dirty bastard again" he said to his friend in reassurance

Zema sighed and closed her eyes, her head hung low. "Easy for you to say..." she said softly. "I've... I've never... I've hunted, but I've never... never killed one of my own kind... the sound..." She picked up her head, unsure of why she suddenly wanted to talk to this wolfdog, maybe because he was the only one around. "He had me on my back, he should've killed me... but something happened and I... the sound he made when I tore out his throat..." She suddenly ran to the corner and threw up.

"All I can tell you is I've killed so many in here I don't want to count. I know someone will come for us sooner than later. These subhuman punks can only do this for so long before the police catch them and when they do we're as good as home free, Please don't think that what you did was wrong, he was going to kill you if you didn't return the favor. Be thankful that you're still here. No one wants to kill but in this ring its do or die and you didn't cave under the pressure. I'm sorry it was bad experience but everyone here has killed to live more than once. I really care about you and hate seeing these self pity bouts. Please calm down, I dont know how much more I can stand" Solaris said, and he was right. Everyone here was better off now that their biggest threat in the ring was history.

Zema wiped her mouth on her paw. "Tell me something..." She asked, walking back over to him. "...does it ever go away? The sound..." Her eyes filled with tears. "..the way he looked at me... at the end?" She asked, sitting in front of the little window that separated them.

"It will in due time, trust me. I just do it because I have to. Yes I still hate it. But I'm long over letting it bring me down. I just do it to survive and each night I pray we'll make it out of this hellhole one day and go home finally. I still hold onto hope that help is on the way soon..." Solaris said trailing off to Zema. He hated seeing anyone like this, it was miserable for him.

She nodded. "I hope so..." She sighed and laid her head against the metal bars. "How long have you been here?" She asked.

"Two and a half miserable long years so far, and not one day without some kind of death or violence of them all. I guess I could say I've sort of laid it aside and just never stopped hoping, and never will. its the only way a miracle is going to happen but you have to first believe in them. That fight you won was a miracle because I thought it was all over for us and you proved me and everyone else wrong" he answered.

Zema smiles. "I think I'd've liked to have met you outside this place." SHe said. "What's your name?"

"Me? My name's Solaris, I'm told it's supposed to be an old world word for solar or sun in simpler words" He answered back. "I wish it could have been that way as well but maybe if I was never here we may have never met at all" he added.

Zema smiled and kept herself leaned against the window. "Mine's Zema. I have no idea what it means..." She sighed. "I just..." She looked out the bars at the stars outside. "I want to feel the snow under my paws again... funny, before this I was actually worried about just being alone... now I wish like nothing else I was back in my cozy little den."

"Yeah I hear you on that. I want to get back to Nome with my brothers and friends so bad and the warmth of my real master's home so bad you have no idea. I haven't known what a warm fireside in my own home was like for so long it will almost be new to me again when that day comes." Solaris said back nodding in agreement about simply wanting to be home again. "Say, perhaps when I get back someday we both can go back together. I'm sure my master wouldn't mind adding one more family member. We have plenty of space anyways" he added to try and start something.

Zema chuckled. "Me? A pet?" She shook her head. "I don't know about that. I've never known that life..." She turned her head and looked at him through the bars. "I grew up in the wild. I got separated from my pack when I was young. I never found them... I've been searching for them, or another to join ever since. I can't imagine living in a house with humans. Especially not after this. I'll be happy if I never see one of them again..."

"See we really do have a lot in common. I was also raised in the wild and was accidently seperated from my pack as well when I was about six months old. Well eventually I went to Nome and my master Andy took me in and I lived there and worked on a local sled team up to the time I was abducted and wound up here. My two other brothers eventually made it to Nome as well and have made a very successful name for themselves there so far. As far as I know they both were still racing last contact I had with them both, And dont worry about Andy, he took me in off the streets and I look wilder and more wolf than either of my brothers and he had no issue giving me a loving home I'd never have to worry about losing, I bet he's still looking every place he can for me every day. I was his favorite pet out of the three of us" Solaris said to her with a warm smile that could've pacified a raging bull.

Zema chuckled and shook her head. "I don't know.. me? ...a pet?" SHe laughed again. "I've... never even considered the concept."

"It's about the easiest kind of life ever. I would know good and well how too. It's a lot better than being out in the wilderness alone all of your days. You're pretty much given everything you could ever want or need on a silver platter." Solaris said with the same grin "Believe me when I say not all humans are cruel like these cowards here" he added.

She smiled. "Solaris... I don't know if I could ever get used to that kind of life. Don't you ever get bored? Feel like it's lazy to just wait for everything to be given to you?"

"Life on a sled team full time is not a lazy lifestyle at all. its a lot of work but its fun work to me, Until I wound up here in this...place it was the only kind of life I ever really knew back at home. And I loved every second of it. What I wouldn't give to have that all back. To be back at the top of my game with my extended family back at home..." he said trailing off

Zema nodded. "I see. Well... I don't know, maybe if we both manage to make it out of here... I'll give it a shot. Not like I have much to go back to."

"That's what I want to hear, Just please keep what I've said in mind here. I really care about you and the last thing I want is anything bad happening to anyone except that bastard you took down earlier tonight. Thanks for hearing me out. I really appreciate and respect anyone that will listen" Solaris said kindly. He really was beginning to fall for this girl. She seemed a lot like him but female. He liked that a lot.

Zema smiled and shook her head. "Anywhere else I'd be interested in this guy." She thought. "...but this isn't exactly the place or time to be falling in love... is it?" She looked back at him and smiled. "Thank you Solaris." SHe said. "I needed to talk to someone."

"Anytime, I'll always be here if you need someone. I dont plan on going anywhere anytime soon, well not literally, but you get it?" he said to her 'I really hope we're out of here soon so we can really hit it off better. this is not the time or place for it' he thought. It had been a long but decent night for once.

One week later.

Solaris was once again in a fight with someone as strong as he was and it was not going well at all. He already had taken a few nasty gashes from his opponent fighting dirty and slashing at him whenever he could. Then it happened. he let his guard down one time and his opponent caught him by the neck and picked him up and violently threw him across the ring. When he did land he slammed into one of the heavy iron posts that held the fencing for the ring up. He hit it so hard it not only gave him a concussion but it ripped a nasty gash in his right side shoulder pretty much taking him out of commission. But just as this happened he saw some commotion break out between the humans but before he knew it he had passed out from the extent of his injuries

Zema heard the crash and the humans that were to the rear of the chute she was loaded into ran away yelling something to one another. She quickly flopped down on her side and scrabbled at the underside of the heavy metal door, digging her sore paws under the metal and slowly but surely pushing it up. She'd been watching through a gap in the metal as Solaris fought and had seen the hard hit he'd taken. 'I hope he's alright.' she thought to herself as she kept struggling with the door. Finally it popped up and she worked her leg underneath it, then pulled it upward and rolled under. By this time she felt like one big walking wound. Injuries from many fights starting to take their toll, but she rushed toward him anyway, calling his name. "Solaris! Solaris are you alive?"

Outside the compound some drama had broken out between the police and the ring organizers. Somehow word got out and the police from Nome had found and busted them finally after all this time. Andy's team had joined them to see if this is was somehow where Solaris had went missing to which it turns out he was right. As soon as they got to the site Kallisto immediately noticed some commotion in the ring area itself and also was alarmed by a mixed scent of blood and someone that smelled awfully similar to his lost brother Solaris. He slipped out of his harness as quickly as he could and rushed into the area and what he saw there about made his blood boil and his heart stop. 'Solaris! please tell me I didn't get here too late!' he thought as sure enough there lied his lost brother severly beaten clinging to life and struggling to merely breathe and a distressed young female that looked a lot like him crying out for someone's help at his side

"What the hell happened and who are you anyways?" he asked a bit rudely but with no malintention. he was just as freaked out as she was at the site before them both. 'These bastards are so gonna pay for this if I lose him' he though vengefully but right now they needed to focus on getting the hell out of there.

"Look not trying to be rude but we need to get the hell out of here. I need help because we dont have much time, these cowards have guns and they will use them if we're not gone quick" Kallisto shouted almost like a drill instructor. He'd apologize for it when they were out but all he cared about was their safety right now...

Zema knelt low to the ground, forgetting her injuries and stepped between the newcomer and Solaris. Her ear was torn and she didn't really hear what he had to say. "My name is Zema. If you have come to hurt him, you'd best remember it. Because it is the name of the wolf who will kill you. You're going to have to get through me first." She growled low and stepped back against the fallen wolfdog.

"Look now I don't know you or what you want with my brother but you best watch your words unless you want a one way trip to your doom. I'm here to save my brother Solaris here from this hellhole" Kallisto said with a very annoyed and somewhat aggressive tone "That team out there is our team. he was on it before he got abducted by these crooks" he added with a bit of a growl now. This was not the time for this...Just then gunshots rang out in the background as the police raided the premises "WE NEED TO GET HIM OUT OF HERE NOW!" He shouted.

Your brother?" She asked. Her stance faltered. "I... you... you're... Kallisto, right?" She asked, glancing back at her friend, hoping she wasn't making a mistake.

"Yes, We need to get out of here first. I'll explain when we're safe. Please lets go before they start shooting at us next" he said in a tense voice "Sorry for shouting but I'm concerned for our safety, follow me out here" he added 'This girl must be his friend or something, no time to ask right now though. got to help Solaris first' he thought.

Kallisto barked a few times and got their musher Andy's attention. And he rushed over to investigate. When he got to them and saw Solaris laid out he looked at Kallisto and this one girl and said "Good job Kallisto, We need to get him some help right away" he said to him and picked Solaris up gently and carried him out of the ring. 'hang in there buddy. I didn't search this long to lose you as soon as I've found you' Andy thought.

Kallisto and Zema followed him out to the front as Andy loaded Solaris broken form onto their sled and began to apologize to her "Look I wasn't trying to be a jerk there but I don't want to lose my brother after all of this searching. I'm guessing you must be one of his friends correct?" he asked her curiously "Oh and don't worry, he'll be fine when we get him back home. We have one of the best vets in all of Alaska here in Nome. The doc will fix him right up" he added to reassure her Solaris was going to be fine.

Zema hopped on on the sled and nuzzled Solaris' neck, tears in her eyes as she looked over her shoulder. During the scuffle a fire had started and now the whole ring began to flame up. "...burn..." She said softly. "BURN!" She screamed. She turned back and covered Solaris head with her own. "All Solaris and I had in that hell hole was each other..." She said. "Yes I'm his friend." She looked back again to see part of the roof cave in over the arena. She smiled and looked down. "...wish you could see this Solaris..." She said softly.

"Ahh what a sweet sight that is, those cowards stole my brother from me. Anicent history it shall be now" Kallisto said to Zema. This place finally got a taste of it's own medicine. "Lets go home" he added as the entire compound burned bright into the night skies.

Doc looked over his work and sighed. Then he turned and walked into the next room where Andy stood anxiously waiting. "I did what I could for them Andy." He said. Solaris is beat up pretty good, the other one, the female. She was bleeding internally. Had a broken rib sticking through her spleen. We've patched them both up, but Well see how they look in the morning."

The night was a long and tedious one for Kallisto and Zema both but neither gave up their hopes. "You heard the man, He did what he could, now all we can do is wait" he said to her "He said you had quite the injury too. you doing alright now?" he added the question..

Zema winced slightly but stayed standing beside the bigger dog. "Yes, I'm... I'm fine." She said. "Just... just worried about... Solaris."

"Oh trust me he'll be fine. We've both seen worse days than this" Kallisto reassured her.

The next morning came pretty fast and Solaris sedative finally began to wear off. First thing he noticed is he was back in a cage but his vision was a bit blurred but after a moment or two he saw the familiar white walls and floors that could only be doc's clinic. Somehow overnight someone broke them out. Then he looked over to his right and there was Zema and none other than his long missed brother Kallisto as well. They must've have been worried sick about him. Then he saw her bandages. but he'd ask later

Guys I'm going to be just..fine" he said to them weakly but stably. "I'm just a little sore, and a lot better off here than back there" he added

"Well, you wont have to worry about going back there. The police arrested the operators and burned the place to the ground, Bro you're one tough son of a bitch you do know that right? The doc spent a good five hours patching you up from that last fight" Kallisto said to his now awake brother with that slightly sarcastic joking tone he was known for.

"See I told you we'd make it out of there alive one day" Solaris said to Zema with a warm smile.

"Free at long last, How'd you guys find us?" Solaris asked his brother

"We saw this strange glow from an artificial light source out in the woods. Then I smelled blood and I just knew this might be our lucky break. So I charged towards the glow and fortunately the police were with us and we were able to bust you guys out of there. I have to apologize again to your friend here again. I kinda yelled at her in the heat of the moment. I was a jerk. But long story short as we pulled away the police threw some dynamite in that hellhole and threw the switch and now we're here. Good riddance to that place and glad to have you here in one piece bro." he said in answer to Solaris' question.

Zema smiled. "You did. ...you should've seen in Solaris... the whole thing, burned to the ground before my very eyes... I hope they execute those bastards..." SHe said. Her eyes filled with tears as it came to her how many hadn't been lucky enough to make it to this day, and how many of those had died at her paws.

"Oh I bet it was a sight to behold. Especially with the extra fireworks like Kallisto was saying. Too bad I had to miss out on the action but I'm here at home again finally and I wouldn't have it any other way" Solaris said to them both. This was a very good day for all sides indeed

"I'm sure the police will put the punks that tortured us all that time under the jail in pieces for their actions. Rest assured they'll never harm us again" He added with a serious tone.

Zema stuck her paw through the grate in the cage and placed it on top of his. "...we made it out Sol."

"And there's no where to go or to look but up from here. Can we just start over here right now and make a good long ride out of this?" He replied "Nothing can ever take this from us again and nothing will as long as I breathe. I swear it" he added

"Welcome home bro, at long last, welcome home" Kallisto said to his brother with a grin. 


End file.
